Speeches

Training

National Conference: Role of Media….Democracy & Politics

On January 2, 2011, a National Conference on the subject of “Role of Media…..Democracy
& Politics, attended by all elements of national opinion, was held in the central
secretariat under the banner of Directorate of Media, Pakistan Awami Tehreek. The
proceedings of the conference got underway with the recitation from the Holy Quran
followed by Naat. People belonging to different walks of life addressed the conference.

Speaking on the occasion, Sheikh Rashid Ahmad, president of Awami Muslim League,
said that the gang of the Five does not have interest in resolution of the national
issues. He said that there are five dictators in politics who wear their uniforms
under their waist coats. Every opposition party, he said, has been enjoying power.
IMF would continue to keep Pakistan in the Oxygen net. ‘It would neither allow us
to move on nor creep’, he added. Regretting the state of democracy in the country,
Sheikh Rashid said that democracy is in the pockets of personalities. He said that
Dr Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri is a reality whose work speaks for him. He asked Shaykh-ul-Islam
to play his role in politics. He further said that democracy and politics are two
sides of the same coin. He said that a day would soon come when the children of
the corrupt politicians would not be able to escape law. He said that the government
may be working but the country is not as it is stuck up due to mismanagement caused
by successive governments. He said that there is no difference between drone attacks
and target killings in Karachi.

Ms Mahnaz Rafi, senior vice president of PML-Q, asked media not to show fights
of political parties since it was no service to the cause of democracy.

Sheikh Zahid Fayyaz, senior Deputy Secretary General of MQI, said that only real
democracy can lay the foundations of a clean politics. Media, he said, is playing
agenda-setting role, while politicians remain reactive to the issues raised by media.
He said that parliament does not represent the will of people as it is held hostage
to a few families.

Aamir Waqas Chaudhry, vice president of Lahore Press Club, said in his speech
that getting beaten for the sake of democracy is not the responsibility of media
but of politicians. He said that it is in a democratic era that anti-media resolution
was passed by a provincial legislature which was shameful. It is not the editors
and owners but the working journalistic workers who render sacrifices for democracy.
He regretted that no democratic government worked for the issuance of wage board
award.

Secretary General of Pakistan Awami Tehreek, Anwar Akhtar Advocate said that
media plays the role of a mirror and its history is full of sacrifices for the restoration
of democracy. Media, he added, also played central role in the movement for restoration
of independent democracy. Media and judiciary are taking notice of public issues
while parliament remains mired in trivial issues. He said that people have pinned
their hopes on media, which forms an indictment of politicians and political parties.
He said that political parties need to establish democracy in their own ranks before
advocating it at the national level.

Mr. Ehsan Wain, Secretary General of ANP, said in his remarks that democracy
can be strengthened through elimination of capitalistic system. Zamurd Yasin, MPA
of PML-N, said that media won its freedom through struggle and played central role
for the restoration of independent judiciary. Muhammad Aslam Mohsin of Awami Qiadat
Party said democracy needs to be strengthened for the longevity of institutions
and media is playing central role in this regard.